Sweet Charity

Amid the flurry of the holiday season, let’s not get so focused on the buying and shopping and sending and receiving that we forget about one thing that, all year round, can do the most good—and that’s the act of giving. You can give time, you can give money, but, by all means, give. To help, I have put together a small, and by no means definitive list, of a few organizations that can truly use your help. The moment you say, “I want to make a donation” is the beginning of a very, very good feeling.

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1.American Red CrossThis one is always at the top of my list because, no matter what disaster or misfortune befalls, they are always ready to help. The reason they are ready to help, of course, is due to the generous donations they receive, so this year, do your part. You can contribute enough to support everything from a full day of emergency shelter ($150 for three people) or something as simple as a blanket (three blankets cost just $18) to help keep a child warm.redcross.org

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2. Cookies For Kids’ CancerWhy not put all that holiday baking toward a good cause? Cookies for Kids’ Cancer makes it easy by providing directions on how to hold a bake sale, signage, and even recipes. The best part? All the proceeds from each sale go directly to help fight pediatric cancer by funding research into new treatments and a cure. Too busy to whip up your own batches? Buy some of “Liam’s Lemon Sugar Cookies” online—for you, or for a gift—and not only will the money benefit the cause, but the Glad company will double donations up to $15,000.cookiesforkidscancer.org

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. Public ColorThis not-for-profit organization heads into city schools and enlists the students’ help to enrich their learning environments, teaching them marketable skills to paint the public spaces in bright, vivid colors. Not only do the buildings themselves improve, studies show that, by transforming their own spaces, children feel more engaged and invested in their schools. Publicolor provides paint, brushes, and instruction, as well as offering tutoring, painting classes, and support.publicolor.org

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4. Feed Projects/The Feed FoundationThe brainchild of model Lauren Bush, Feed Projects works in tandem with the Feed Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to help educate people about hunger issues and to raise funds to provide nutritious school meals for children worldwide. Feed Projects sells ecologically responsible, artisan-made, stenciled tote bags, stuffed bears, and T-shirts that help fulfill a like-minded mission: to create awareness around hunger and to feed the people of the world. A set donation is built into the cost of each item, and that money goes directly to the benefit the cause. A bonus for last-minute shoppers: Feed Bags make an incredibly chic, incredibly useful holiday gift.thefeedfoundation.org

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5. The David Sheldrick Wildlife TrustThis Christmas, you can take on the awesome responsibility of fostering an orphaned baby elephant for a minimum donation of $50 a year. These elephants, raised in a nursery in Nairobi in Africa, were orphaned when their mothers fell victim to Africa’s severe poaching and ivory trade.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

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6. Heifer InternationalIn developing or agricultural countries, simple math often applies: When a family has a cow, there is milk for the children to drink and leftover milk to share and to sell. The money from the sale of milk pays for education, clothes, and medicine. You can buy a family a cow for $500—or buy a share of a cow for $50—and help a struggling family help themselves. Better still, each gift multiplies, as the animal’s first offspring is passed on to another family in need. That family, in turn, agrees to pass on their animal’s offspring—and so on—until an entire community can feel the benefit of the gift of one cow.heiferinternational.org

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7. Amani Children’s Foundation: The Trunk ProjectThis foundation was set up to protect and care for abandoned infants in Kenya by providing them with everything from clothes to medical care to schooling—not to mention a second chance at life. While there are many levels of sponsorship (starting at $25), the Trunk project is the best way for a large group to get involved. To start, you collect all the clothes a child will need for one year, and you raise the $1,000 it will take to provide housing, medication, and care for the child for one year and pack everything into a trunk. The trunks are delivered to Kenya on a regular basis and presented to children in need.amanichildren.org

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8. Byrd Cookie CompanySupport the troops by spending a simple $10 on a tin of Byrd cookies to be sent to a soldier who could not make it home this holiday season. Each tin comes with your personal message, and for every four sold, Byrd will donate a fifth tin and ship it to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Everyone deserves a little something nice to unwrap (and share) on Christmas morning.byrdcookiecompany.com

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9. UNICEFWhy not give a donation that lasts a lifetime? Through UNICEF, you can easily contribute enough to vaccinate men, women, and children against many life-threatening illnesses. For a mere $21, you can provide 412 doses of tetanus vaccine, especially important to protecting women in developing countries during the child-bearing period of their lives. For $28, you can help protect children from measles, a disease which kills 600 children every day, and for a mere $31, you can help vaccinate against polio. The list, truly, goes on and on—and the simple act of donating online could help save hundreds of lives around the world.unicef.org